"The Descendants" and "The Artist;" "Iron Lady" and "The Help" -- they all took home trophies at Sunday night's Golden Globes, and it's more than likely you'll see them among the list of Oscar nominees come Jan. 24.

But Sunday night was more than just about the race for more gilded trophies. Ricky Gervais cut into the celebrity crowd, if not as crudely as last time. Meryl Streep cursed. George Clooney joked. Historically, the Golden Globes are when Hollywood lets down its shellacked, chignon-pinned hair, and the latest bash was no exception.

Madonna (winner, best original song, "Masterpiece" in "W.E.") on her latest workout: "I'm not doing pilates anymore. I'm just dancing. You know, dance aerobics, just dancing. The best thing for your bum is dancing."

Claire Danes (winner, best actress in a TV drama, "Homeland") on how she prepared to play the mentally unstable Carrie Mathison: "It was a pretty elaborate process and I liked nerding out in that way. I delved into a lot of books about the CIA and the bipolar condition. … I actually went on YouTube, that was a really valuable resource. Bipolar people who are up in the middle of the night and want to talk and have no one to talk to, and they talk to the camera and then they post it. I think I did more of that than anything else. I just gorged on these videos of these people in manic states and just tried to extrapolate on that. I have great respect for the illness. It's no joke."

Julie Bowen on "Modern Family's" diverse characters and mass appeal: "I come from a long line of straight, white Republicans who don't like people like this [gestures to either side of her], and even they like this show. I think that in country clubs across America, the doors are cracking open."

Matt LeBlanc (winner, best actor in a TV comedy, "Episodes") on a rumored "Friends" movie: "There's no plans, no … 'Friends' was about this finite period in six people's lives. Your imagination as to what these characters have moved on to or done with their lives is going to do more justice to those characters than putting them back in the room together."

"Homeland's" co-creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa (winner, best TV drama) on season two: "Don't expect next season to start right where this one left off. There may be a bit of a time jump between season. The Brody-Carrie relationship will be front and center." (Gansa and Gordon also said that the "international aspect of the show is going to be highlighted.")